Probation officers work with a caseload of offenders to support each of them to make better life choices to reduce reoffending.
Probation officers can work in the community, in the courts or within prisons. Each probation officer is tasked to work collaboratively with the police, prison service, social services, housing agencies and a range of professional agencies to create a supportive program that will reduce reoffending.
To be successful in a probation job interview, applicants need to showcase a range of skills and qualities from interpersonal skills to teamwork, from case management to report writing.
During a probation officer job interview, applicants will be asked to give evidence on how they meet the job criteria. Each ‘essential’ job criteria for a probation officer will be discussed and challenged through a number of job interview questions.
Due to the complexity of work that a probation officer has to undertake, and therefore highlight in the interview, the applicant needs to prepare and practice the most commonly asked job interview questions.
Why have you applied for a probation officer position?
To be a probation officer you will either have a Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP) – this is an industry recognised probation officer qualification and/or a number of years experience working with ‘challenging’ behaviors.
When explaining why you have applied for a probation officer role, the applicant can first state their level of knowledge and experience “Last year a passed by PQiP and have been working with ex-offenders as part of a local initiative…”
Follow up the opening statement by giving an example of relevant skills: “When working on X project, I was responsible for (case management, effective decision making, working with offenders, etc)
And end the interview answer with a short summary “I applied to work with youth offenders, rather than adult offenders, because (reason)…”
What do you have to consider when case-managing a large number of offenders?
Case-management questions are asking about an applicants organisational skills.
Start with an example: “In my previous role I successfully managed a caseload of 55 ongoing cases…”
Next, state the skills and strategies that were used to ensure that all key tasks and duties were performed on time and to a high level of quality.
“When case managing, I found it important to utilize management tools. As an example of this I would manage by time by using X tool, this allowed me to A, B and C…”
In addition, applicants can explain a common problem relevant to case managing offenders and state the solution: “When working with X company, we found that 50% of offenders would not attend their 3rd probation appointment. To increase attendance on the 2nd appointment, that many offenders attended, I would (add strategy)…”
Why is accurate report writing important for a probation officer?
Any interviewer that starts a question by asking why X is important is telling the interviewee that this is a key duty/skill that is required for the advertised role.
At the start of the interview answer, candidates can reassure the interviewer by agreeing to the statement “I agree report writing needs to be accurate….” The agreement with the interviewer increases liking.
After the ‘agreement frame’ explains the reason why (the applicant) agrees with the statement embedded within the interview question: “…because the reports probation officers write can be used as evidence in a court of law….”
End the interview answer by stating the process utilized in previous roles “To ensure accuracy of my reports I (make notes, write the reports during a meeting, check and recheck accuracy, etc)…”
As one of the key duties of a probation office, this question is bound to come up during the job interview.
How would you risk assess an offender?
The risk assessment is based on two key; the risk of reoffending and the risk of risk of serious harm.
When answering the interview question, applicants need to show their understanding of risk management. Interviewees new to this sector need to discuss their knowledge base, while experienced probation officers can give a real-life example. Either way will help create a positive interview identity from an employer’s perspective.
Explain risk level, who is at risk, protective factors and how the applicant would go about completing the risk assessment – what evidence they would use?
How would you support an offender not to re-offend?
The re-offend question is the bases of the job role. There are many approaches and potential answers here.
In short, this question allows an applicant to discuss their unique selling point – the reason they should be hired for the role.
A strong opening answer can win the interviewer over “in all my previous roles I have been able to reduce the number of re-offenders on my caseload by an average of 30%..”
By stating a confirmation of ability, creates interest. Follow up this opening line by stating the process used to achieve the stated results.
“To lower the number of re-offenders I…….”
Examples could include:
“Help to plan the diary management of offenders with community orders, this simple strategy ensures offenders attend their agreed number of hours working in the community”
“I have a collaborative approach with external agencies to ensure the offender has all the basics; housing, benefits, medical care. This collaborative approach not only reduces the hours the probation service needs to put in to support an offender but also ensures an offender doesn’t feel they have to offend to survive.”
“My ability to be trust and rapport with an offender allows them to open up to me. This mentoring approach has been proven to help me find the underlying issues the offender has and therefore gain the offender the right support to help them live a normal life.”
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